Anchor holder



y 1966 P. J. WAIGLE 3,252,440

ANCHOR HOLDER Filed June 22, 1964 INVENTOR. pm; J k/mazz zafiziim, XML/247% United States Patent 3,252,440 ANCHOR HOLDER Phil J. Waigle, Lyons, Mich. (Pewamo, Mich.) Filed June 22, 1964, Ser. No. 376,819 3 Claims. or. 114-210 This invention relates in general to a device for holding an anchor in a selected position with respect to the side of a boat and, more particularly, to a type of holding device which engages the stem on a common mushroom type anchor suspended outside of the boat by a line over the bow of the boat, whereby the anchor is secured against swinging or sideward movement as the boat is moved through the water.

Many efforts have been made to design structures for the purpose of holding an anchor outside of the boat so that damage to the boat from the swinging anchor could be avoided. However, insofar as I am aware, the existing devices for this purpose have not been entirely satisfactory. For example, they have either been too expensive or complicated or they have created noise problems in their operation and use, or they have lacked the adjustability necessary to adapt them to a wide variety of bow constructions. That is, the bows of rowboats, for example, Where the anchor line is usually secured, vary considerably both in structure and in slope. Moreover, the types of anchor rope guide mechanisms often found on the bows of rowboats also vary considerably from boat to boat. I

The average owner of a small rowboat is not interested in an expensive or complicated installation, and he does not want to be troubled with a maintenance problem merely for the purpose of keeping his anchor outside of the boat. More specifically, the average boat owner or user is still looking for a simple answer to his problem, and the fact that existing structures are rarely seen on fishing boats is sufficient proof that they are not acceptable.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention has been the provision of an extremely simple, but highly effective, anchor holder or anchor lock which is adapted for engaging and holding a conventional mushroom type anchor on the outside of a boat so that the anchor cannot swing against the outside of the boat or rattle in the holder, and which will release the anchor as soon as the tension on its supporting line is relaxed.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of an anchor holder, as aforesaid, which can be quickly and easily mounted upon the bow of either a metal boat or a wooden boat, which is adaptable to any conventional bow shape or construction, which has a wide range of adjustment so that it can be mounted at various levels along the bow of the boat and can compensate for the variations in the forward extension of different types of anchor line guides. v

A further object of this invention has been the provision of an anchor holder, as aforesaid, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which can be installed without special tools, which is inconspicuous on the boat and will not interfere with the normal operation thereof.

Other objects and purposes of this invention will become apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following descriptive material and examining the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary, front elevational view of a metal rowboat having an anchor holder embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 11-11 in FIGURE 1.-

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' lower, front, rear and words of similar import will have reference to a boat with which the invention is used, when the invention is installed on said bow. The terms inner, outer and derivatives thereof will have reference to the geometric center of the anchor holder and parts thereof.

GENERAL CONSTRUCTION The objects and purposes of the invention, including those set forth above, have been met by providing an anchor holder for a conventional mushroom type anchor having a stem. The anchor holder is capable of adjust able mounting upon the bow of a small rowboat and is also capable of snugly engaging and noiselessly holding the stem of said anchor so that it cannot swing against the boat when the anchor is in its raised and engaged position. The adjustability of the anchor holder permits it to be used on boats of a variety of types, shapes and sizes, and the anchor holder can also be adapted for use with many different types of line guiding devices, such as a pulley, mounted upon the bow near its upper end.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The anchor holder 10 (FIGURES l and 2), which has been selected to illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, is comprised of an elongated rod member 11 having an integral loop 12 (FIGURE 3), preferably defining a circle, at one end thereof. However, the loop 12 could have some other shape. The anchor holder 10 is disclosed in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 in association with a conventional whale bottom boat 13 the hull of which is fabricated from metal, fiber glass or the like, which is relatively thin. The boat 13 has a substantially pointed bow 14 with reinforcing strips 16 and 17 on the inner and outer sides thereof, respectively, along the center line thereof. The boat 13 also has a gunwale 18 along its upper edge in a conventional manner.

A line guiding device 19 (FIGURE 2) is mounted upon the gunwale 18 adjacent the bow 14 in a substantially conventional manner. The guiding device 19 includes a pulley 21 supported by an axle 22 upon a bracket 23 which is secured to the gunwale 18 by means of the nuts and bolts 24. An anchor line 26 is threaded around the pulley wheel 21 and connected to an eyelet 27 on the stem 28 of the anchor 29. The above-described parts of the boat 13, the guiding device 19 and the anchor 29 may be substantially conventional.

The rod member 11 of the anchor holder 10 (FIGURES 2 and 3) is bent ata slight angle, such as approximately 25 or, 30, to a plane defined by the loop 12, the bend being located at a point 33 in said rod member 11 nearto, but preferably spaced from, said loop 12. Said rod member 11 has external threads 32 from its free end preferably to a point near the bend 33 therein. A

The external surface of the loop 12 (FIGURE 3) and of the adjacent portion of the rod member 11 is coated, especially on the inner side of the loop 12, with a resiliently flexible material 34, such as plastic or rubber. The stem 28 on most mushroom anchors 29, which are widely used, are slightly tapered away from the bell 36 on the its axial ends.

anchor. The inside diameter of the loop 12, including the coating 34 is preferably slightly smaller than the diameter of the stem 28 approximately midway between Thus, when the stem 28 is raised by the line 26 into the loop 12 (FIGURES 2 and 4), the resiliently flexible coating 34 is somewhat compressed against the metal core of the loop 12 to hold the anchor 29 snugly in place and, therefore, to prevent noisy movement.

The bow 14 of the boat 13, including the reinforcing strips 16 and 17 (FIGURES 2 and 3) is pierced with a rod opening 37 at a point spaced downwardly from ,the gunwale 18 for slida-ble reception of the rod member 11 therethrough. Such pierecing can be accomplished by a common drill and drill bit. The opening 37 is preferably located at a position where the rod member 11, if received through opening 37, will snugly engage the stem 28 when the eyelet 27 is spaced at least a short distance from the guiding device 19, also to prevent noise. When the anchor holder is thusly located, the anchor will normally be above or substantially above the water line. However, it will be recognized that in some types of boats having a small freeboard adjacent the bow this arrangement is not possible. However, due to the snug engagement of the stem 28 by the anchor holder 10, the operation of the anchor holder 10 is not impaired by the fact that the anchor may be partially submerged when it is in its held position within the anchor holder. Moreover, the effect upon the operation of the boat will also be negligible.

A pair of similar positioning members 38 and 39 are mounted upon the rod member 11 adjacent the outer and inner sides, respectively, of the how 14 when said rod member 11 is inserted through the rod opening 37. Both rod members are substantially flat and rectangular and have central openings 42 and 43, respectively. The sides 44 and 45 of the members 38 and 39 are preferably curved to define portions of substantially similar cylinders having a radius approximately equal to the radius of curvature of the concave side of the inner reinforcing strip 16 adjacent the rod opening 37. The opposite sides 47 and 48 of the positioning members 38 and 39 are preferably slightly concave, the curvatures of the inner and outer surfaces of each positioning member being around substantially parallel axes.

The opening 42 in the outer positioning member 38 is threaded for threaded engagement with the threads 32 on the rod member 11 so that the outer positioning member 38 can engage the reinforcing strip 17 and thereby positively but adjustably limit the extension of the rod member 11 into the rod opening 37. The inner positioning member 39, which has a smooth bore opening 43, is snugly held against the reinforcing strip 16 by the nut 49 on the inner end of the rod member 11. Suitable washers 52 are provided between the nut 49 and the positioning member 39.

Adjustment of the distance of the loop 12 from the how 14 can be effected merely by loosening the nut 49 and then rotating the rod member 11 around its axis and with respect to both the nut 12 and member 38 until the proper spacing relationship is achieved. Thereafter, the nut 49 can be tightened into position to secure the anchor holder in the desired position.

The angular relationship between the threaded portion of the rod member 11 and the loop 12 is preferably adapted to the slope and shape of the average how, be cause the anchor holder will operate satisfactorily even when the loop 12 is not in an exactly horizontal position after the anchor holder 10 is mounted upon the boat. However, this angle can be easily changed and, if desired, the anchor holder can be made and sold with several different angular relationships.

FIGURE illustrates the use of the anchor holder in association will a boat 55 having a wooden hull which is considerably thicker than the hull structure described above in connection with the boat 13. However, the

installation and operation of the anchor holder 10 can be identical to that discussed above with respect to the boat 13.

Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed above for illustrative purposes, it will be understood that variations or modifications of such disclosure, which come within the scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for engaging the stem of a mushroom type anchor to hold said anchor in a fixed position with respect to the bow of a boat having a line guiding means near the top of said bow and an opening through the bow below said guiding means, comprising:

an elongated one-piece rod member having an elongated threaded shank at one end thereof slideably receivable through said opening and having an integral substantially planar loop at the other end thereof defining an opening approximately equal to the diameter of the stem on the anchor approximately midway between the ends thereof, said rod member being bent adjacent said loop so that said shank extends at an angle of less than degrees to the plane defined by said loop, said shank being threaded from a point near the bend to the one end thereof;

a resiliently flexible coating on the external surface of said loop defining said opening therein so that said stem is snugly receivable into said loop and resiliently held therein by the line directly below the guiding means; and

a pair of positioning means threadedly engaged with the threaded shank of said rod member and capable of'being located respectively upon the inside and outside of said bow for rigidly securing said rod member to the bow of the boat, said shank being threaded for a distance approximately equal to the inside di ameter of said loop for permitting adjustment of the position of said loop with respect to the boat.

2. A device according to claim 1, in which said pair of positioning means comprises a first internally threaded member threadedly engaged with said shank, said first member being adapted to be positioned on the outside of the boat and having a concave surface for engaging the outer surface of the bow of the boat, a second member loosely encircling said shank and positioned thereon on the opposite side of said first threaded member from said loop, said second member being adapted to be positioned inside of the boat and having a convex surface for engaging the inner surface of the bow of the boat and a nut threadedly engaging said shank for urging said second member toward said first member whereby said first and second members can be moved into snug engagement with the bow of the boat on opposite sides thereof.

3. In combination with a boat having a bow and a gunwale along the upper edge of the boat;

a line guidingdevice mounted on said gunwale adjacent the bow, said line guiding device including a bracket affixed to the gunwale of the boat and a pulley rotatably supported on said bracket in front of said bow;

an anchor having an upwardly extending stem and a line threaded around the pulley and connected to the upper end of said stem; and

an anchor holder separate from said line guiding device and secured to said bow below the gunwale of the boat, said anchor holder comprising an elongated one-piece rod member having an elongated threaded shank slideably received through an opening in the bow of the boat, said rod member being curved in a substantially horizontal plane to form an elongated substantially planar horizontal loop at the forward end of said threaded shank, said loop defining an opening of a size sufiicient to snugly receive the stem of the anchor, said rod member being bent in a vertical plane adjacent the juncture of said 5 6 threaded shank and said loop so that said shank ex- References Cited by the Examiner tends upwardly with respect to said loop at an angle of less than 90 degrees with respect to the horizontal 2 536 224 Z PATENTS 114 210 fi v h d d C6 plane de ned by sa1 loop, sa1d shank belng t rea e 3,106,180 10/1963 Rice 114 210 from a point near the bend to the free end thereof; 5

and fastening means engaging said shank for rigidly secur- MILTON BUCHLER Exammer ing said rod member to the bow of the boat. T. M. BLIX, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR ENGAGING THE STEM OF A MUSHROOM TYPE ANCHOR TO HOLD SAID ANCHOR IN A FIXED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE BOW OF A BOAT HAVING A LINE GUIDING MEANS NEAR THE TOP OF SAID BOW AND AN OPENING THROUGH THE BOW BELOW SAID GUIDING MEANS, COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED ONE-PIECE ROD MEMBER HAVING AN ELONGATED THREADED SHANK AT ONE END THEREOF SLIDEABLY RECEIVABLE THROUGH SAID OPENING AND HAVING AN INTEGRAL SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR LOOP AT THE OTHER END THEREOF DEFINING AN OPENING APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE DIAMETER OF THE STEM ON THE ANCHOR APPROXIMATELY MIDWAY BETWEEN THE ENDS THEREOF, SAID ROD MEMBER BEING BENT ADJACENT SAID LOOP SO THAT SAID SHANK EXTENDS AT AN ANGLE OF LESS THAN 90 DEGREES TO THE PLANE DEFINED BY SAID LOOP, SAID SHANK BEING THREADED FROM A POINT NEAR THE BEND TO THE ONE END THEREOF; A RESILIENTLY FLEXIBLE COATING ON THE EXTERNAL SURFACE OF SAID LOOP DEFINING SAID OPENING THEREIN SO THAT SAID STEM IS SNUGLY RECEIVABLE INTO SAID LOOP AND RESILIENTLY HELD THEREIN BY THE LINE DIRECTLY BELOW THE GUIDING MEANS; AND A PAIR OF POSITIONING MEANS THREADEDLY ENGAGED WITH THE THREADED SHANK OF SAID ROD MEMBER AND CAPABLE OF BEING LOCATED RESPECTIVELY UPON THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF SAID BOW FOR RIGIDLY SECURING SAID ROD MEMBER TO THE BOW OF THE BOAT, SAID SHANK BEING THREADED FOR A DISTANCE APPROXIMATELY EQUAL TO THE INSIDE DIAMETER OF SAID LOOP FOR PERMITTING ADJUSTMENT OF THE POSITION OF SAID LOOP WITH RESPECT TO THE BOAT. 